The key facts
- Obama: the investigation of Omar is federal pressure on a critic of the president
- White House: the Justice Department is 'restoring law and order', the investigation is not politicized
- The investigation concerns Omar's citizenship and a possible misstatement of her age upon entry into the US in 1995
Obama speaks out in defense of Omar
Barack Obama on Sunday published a post on X stating that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is under federal criminal investigation solely because she openly criticizes President Donald Trump. 'The full power of the federal government is coming down on a law-abiding elected official just because she dared to criticize the president,' he wrote, calling the investigation 'outrageous.' According to Obama, Omar's father obtained naturalization when she was 17, which gave her citizenship, and the administration is allegedly trying to deport her based on an 'unfounded theory' that she was already 18 at that time. He warned that if this becomes 'the new normal,' the precedent could extend to others.
The essence of the investigation
Last week, agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched Omar's Washington home. Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, was born in Somalia and moved to the US as a child. According to American media reports, the investigation is related to her citizenship and a possible misstatement of her age upon entry into the US in 1995: authorities are checking whether the age stated in the citizenship application matches her actual date of birth. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, a child automatically obtains citizenship if they have a citizen parent, are under 18, and reside with the citizen parent as a permanent resident. The investigation could lead to an attempt by the Justice Department to 'denaturalize' Omar — this would require proving material misrepresentations in the naturalization process.
The position of the White House and Trump
White House press secretary Lauren Bis rejected any political motivation behind the investigation. 'Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump did not use the Department of Justice against political opponents,' her statement sent to the BBC said. According to her, the department 'is focused on restoring law and order and protecting Americans.' Trump himself said the investigation 'has nothing to do with him,' calling Omar a 'terrible person' and a 'whiner.' Trump himself had previously repeatedly claimed that the criminal cases against him during the election campaign were politically motivated.
The search and the parties' reactions
According to media reports, during the search Omar's phone, computers, notebooks and passport were seized. Her lawyers, as reported by CBS News, a BBC partner in the US, demanded in a letter on Friday that the seized items be returned, arguing that the seizure violated restrictions set by a judge to protect her work as a federal legislator. They also stated that the agents did not properly notify Omar and the House of Representatives counsel of the upcoming search and prevented her from contacting an attorney for more than an hour. Democrats characterized the search as an attempt by the president to interfere with the legislative branch; Republicans said Omar must answer to the law like everyone else. Omar herself called the investigation 'yet another escalation of a campaign of political intimidation' and said Trump has pursued her for years with 'baseless lies and slander.' In 2023, Republicans removed her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over statements about Israel that drew criticism from both parties.
Context
Obama did not mention in his post that during his presidential campaigns and his two terms, Trump himself questioned Obama's citizenship, claiming he was not born on American territory; Obama then published documents confirming his birth in Hawaii.
Image source, Getty Images
